How To Stay On Task

Posted on September 27, 2012April 16, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 24 Conversations

Imagine this scene: You want to get fit and you have joined your local gym with a view to setting up a fitness regime toot suite.

You have all the best intentions and just know that this time you really will follow through with the promises you have made to yourself!

Just to make especially sure though, you have even entered all your intended gym visits for the following month into your planner so as to remove your usual excuse of not having time.

And there’s no messing around because the first time you have scheduled is tomorrow immediately after work.

The only problem is you have no way of knowing how you will feel tomorrow after a long days work. You may feel great and pumped at the thought of pumping iron. Or indeed you may not.

Then tomorrow comes and it’s an insanely hectic day with work. You have no time to even take lunch and your expected leaving time of 4:00pm becomes 5:30pm.

Not that that is a problem or reason to not go because you know your partner will happily start dinner in your absence. You have nothing to rush home for that can’t wait until you have had some much deserved ‘you time’.

What do you do?

If you’re like most people, here is the answer to that question.

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Where Are You From, Really?

Posted on September 21, 2012May 25, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 2 Conversations

Brian Tracy said, “It doesn’t matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going.”

Yes, and when you acknowledge where you’re from with love and respect, the impact on where you’re going is profound.

Where am I from?

I am from a home where love and laughter reigned, a place of simple joys and comfort.

A home that prepared me for a life of connection, contribution and love; living each day fully, someday nowhere to be found.

I am from a woman, compassionate and loving, who chose a man strong and proud.

From my grandmother’s knee, oven-baked bread and rosy cheeks in the crisp wintry air.

A land, where immigrants gathered to start anew, courage and spirit to brave the elements.

A land that prepared me for western shores; where mountains and ocean collide.

Where am I from?

From the school of possibility; the spirit’s edge, my church the mountains and the waves below.

A place of coeur-age where risk and exploration connect.

Birthed in the stories of Jo March, Elizabeth Bennett, and a red-haired girl named Anne.

Where girls have heart, and spirit in abundance.

It’s easy to tell the stories that keep you small.

But right here as you read this, what’s the story that warms your heart?

That’s the one you should be telling.

Courage and Overcoming Fear with Debbie Ford

Posted on June 14, 2012May 25, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 32 Conversations

Years ago I read Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford, and I remember my surprise at realizing that someone was actually shining light on the parts of ourselves we try so hard to hide.

In her latest book Courage: Overcoming Fear and Igniting Self Confidence, she goes deeper right from the start as she asks,

“How many times have you felt yourself shrink?”

“How many times have you kept your mouth shut when you wanted to scream loudly, or handed over your power to someone who didn’t have your best interests at heart?”

“How many times have you told yourself, ‘I can’t. I’m not strong enough. I”m not courageous or confident enough to be all that I desire to be?”

Because truth is, every day you’re confronted with situations that trigger thoughts like these, and the accompanying self-doubt.

Confronted too by opportunities and choices, hundreds of them, that can make you feel confident and strong or weak as a shrinking violet. Every one, a choice.

Are you owning that responsibility or living as a victim to it?

She writes that, “when we lack confidence, we feel unworthy of having what we want, of speaking the truth, of making decisions that improve our lives. When we feel weak, helpless, or powerless, we lack the strength to ward off the thoughts of defeat, negativity and fear that fill our minds and prevent us from moving forward and living in harmony with our deepest desires. ”

Courage provides steps to increasing confidence, and the possibility of living to our fullest potential.

“True courage comes not just from feeling confident and strong, but from being the honest, authentic expression of yourself.”

Debbie shares her personal journey with cancer, the wake-up call she needed to help her see where she herself had become stuck in life. Her raw honesty and vulnerability as she shares her story are rare traits, and make for a compelling read. Using the metaphor of a warrior, she digs deep to share the wisdom gained from confronting her own dark side while igniting the warrior long suppressed inside.

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The Magic of Jenny Bones (or why I partnered with a witch)

Posted on May 1, 2012August 27, 2012 by Sandi Amorim 20 Conversations

When I think of Jenny Bones I think. . .

funny
whipsmart
full hearted
wise, witchy woman

I am blessed to call her friend, colleague and partner in crime (of the s’mores variety!)

It was a few weeks ago that Jenny picked up the phone and began the conversation that has turned into our upcoming S’mores Summer Camp for Solopreneurs.

In those few weeks we’ve laughed, gotten shit done and created something of value without succumbing to the perfectionist lure of someday.

I love that she’s got the geniusy writing sass goin’ on right alongside the tarot card woo woo vibe. Doesn’t that make you want to find out more about her?

It’s extraordinary to work with someone who has both the creative ideas and the get-it-done energy. It takes huevos of a particular kind to throw your metaphorical hat over the wall and then go after it without a moment’s hesitation.

Jenny does that better than anyone I’ve ever worked with.

Jenny’s brand of shining is magical (not kidding about her being a witch!) and I’m thrilled that she’s here casting a spell. You’ve been warned 😉

1. Why are you here?

I believe I’m here because I’ve been willing to jump off a few cliffs in my day. I’m not sure where I’d be if I hadn’t jumped. Probably in a cubicle, complaining about the calorie count of the high-fat double-mocha latte I was sipping whilst silently dreaming of what life would be like if I were a writer.

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Exploring the Source of Intention

Posted on April 25, 2012October 23, 2012 by Sandi Amorim 2 Conversations

A guest post from Lenke Sifko. It has been a privilege to work with her and she generously agreed to share something she wrote after one of our conversations.

It is no secret to me, I know that intention is clearly a big player in the attainment of my goals, and the creation of the life I want to lead. Intention is the foundation for which these visions, goals and dreams are built. Now well along this road, sometimes by years, sometimes by progress and sometimes by curious digression, I find myself once again engaging in a new connection with my personal, creative and vocational dreams.

This day begins with an electricity in the air of my inner landscape.

I feel as though I am standing in the path of a rare and enigmatic breeze.

I sit down on the side of the road.

I my thoughts drift to pondering “the how” of how I create my intentions. I find my awareness moving in a new direction, to a place that takes me back further, to thinking about what comes before intention —to the source from which I create my intentions.

Source — “a thing or place from which anything comes, arises, or is obtained.”

This opens up thoughts about creation, and the difference between creating FOR and creating FROM. I realize that I have so often created my intentions “for” something.

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Your Soul Song is Waiting

Posted on April 23, 2012October 23, 2012 by Sandi Amorim 31 Conversations

I’ll never forget the day I read the first email I received from Carol Hess, today’s spotlight. She’d just read the post I wrote after my father-in-law died and her message said, “I just read your Starbursts post. You scare the shit out of me. And that means I need to work with you.”

I sat at my desk moved to tears. Sharing the experience of my father-in-law’s sudden death was terrifying. Had I gone too far, my passion too intense? And then Carol’s email arrived.

It was confirmation that this message which had been there all along in my work was my core message, and it was suddenly so clear I could no longer ignore it. Carol would call this my Soul Story.

And that is her brilliance – calling forth your Soul Story.

The fascinating aspect of this story is that in reaching out and asking for what she needed, Carol made a difference for both of us.

Her work is empowering, but it’s not that she has power to give you. No. It’s more like she pulls back the veil so you can see your own power and claim it. Then she’s right there beside you, not just talking but walking the path.

When I think of Carol, words like authenticity, integrity and courage come to mind. And she’s funny! So damn funny, when we talk there is much laughter of the out loud and snorting kind!

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Toot Your Horn, Loud & Proud

Posted on April 8, 2012April 16, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 43 Conversations

What might happen if you acknowledged your gifts openly?

Would your lizard brain raise its head and demand silence or. . .would it allow you to shine the way you’re meant to?

Let’s put it to the test, shall we?

I’ll go first , then you let it rip in the comments.

Things I’m deeply proud of

1. I completed an honours degree in Fine Arts with a dream of making my way in the world as an artist.

While I never made it to the New York art scene, my passion for art oozed into other areas of my life and creativity, one of my core values, was honoured.

2. Less than a year after knee surgery I ran a half marathon.

After the surgery the doctor gave me a list of things I should no longer do (included running and dancing) – I was 33 and decided to to prove him wrong.

It may not have been the smartest thing to do, but according to Sally Hogshead’s 7 Triggers of Fascination my primary trigger is rebellion (not so surprising!) so what I did totally makes sense.

3. I’ve been self-employed for almost 12 years, first as a photographer and then as a coach.

There are so many resources now to help you leave the corporate world, ditch your boring job, and design a life you love. Twelve years ago, not so much.

I didn’t come from a long line of entrepreneurs and looking back, I really had no clue how great the challenge. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, following a vision and correcting course as required.

Credentials (or proof-that-I’m-the-real-McCoy)

1. I’m a Solution Focused Coach, on a mission to wake you up from your ‘someday thinking’.

I’ve got close to 7,500 hours of coaching under my belt (a Master Certified Coach credential requires 2,500 hours) and have worked with hundreds of amazing people over the years.

2. I am certified in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming).

I love personal development, and one of my favourite areas of study has been NLP. Google it and you’ll find over 57,600,000 results but the definition I like the best – finding ways to help people have better, fuller and richer lives. Says it all for me.

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Generate Excitement (because you can)

Posted on March 26, 2012April 16, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 12 Conversations

BURNING QUESTION:

What is your relationship to excitement?

Confession time. . .I’m easily excited.

You weren’t really surprised, were you?

Truth is, some days it hardly takes anything at all and I’m lit up like a roman candle!

I think of it as a way of being AND my relationship to the world.

Maybe that sounds Pollyanna-esque.

Maybe you think I’m wearing rose-coloured glasses, totally out of touch with reality.

But (and this is a very important but). . .

if it feels good and empowers you why would that be a problem?

I’ll tell you why; because our conditioning begins in childhood with phrases like:

Rein it in.
Settle down.
Don’t show off.

And you learn how to turn your excitement right down to a manageable level or even worse, suppress it completely.

That my friends, is a sad state of affairs.

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The Humanity of Being

Posted on March 20, 2012April 16, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 9 Conversations

“There are four questions of value in life…

What is sacred?

Of what is the spirit made?

What is worth living for?

What is worth dying for?

The answer to each is the same.

Only love.”

– Don Juan de Marco

I’m a doer.

I like action. And results.

I really like results and making things happen.

But it’s a fast and slippery slope to a driven kind of energy that stops feeling good before I’ve reached the bottom.

The drive, the doing, the “making things happen”…all get in the way. Continue reading →

Boy Meets Girl

Posted on March 16, 2012April 16, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 21 Conversations

Boy meets girl. I was 16.

Boy & girl grow up together.

Boy gives girl ring. Promises future.

Boy leaves girl. No longer a girl. I was 30.

The facts don’t tell the whole truth.

They rarely do.

For how could these simple facts tell the story of first love, promise and heartbreak without being a cliché?

I once read that however long a relationship lasts is how long it will take to get over it when it ends.

That was true for me.

While there was no happily-ever-after, this story lead me down the path of personal development, which lead to the work I love.

And that?

Has made all the difference.

“…Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

– Robert Frost